


Miles To Go Before I Sleep

by Wispy_Raindrop



Series: Survive, Recover, Live [5]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human/Troll Society, Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, Body Horror, Carapaces, Fantastic Racism, Gen, Implied/Referenced Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Torture, Racism, Sadstuck, carapacians - Freeform, referenced relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7080496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wispy_Raindrop/pseuds/Wispy_Raindrop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are many paths that lead to the same destination. If you play your cards right, yours might just be paved in blood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miles To Go Before I Sleep

 It shouldn't be like this. You shouldn't be running and hiding like a freshly hatched wiggler. You should be back in your hive with your lusus receiving the best schoolfeeding, the best training to be a productive member of society. It was your right, you were _born_ to it and now you're a fucking freak with rough scales growing in chaoic patches on your skin and way too many fins and a body that no longer feels like your own. You can't stand the air you breathe on the surface but you can't stay under the water for very long either. Your gills don't function properly anymore and your lungs burn with every breath you take.

And you don't know _why_.

There _must_ be a reason. After all, why would they take a seadweller and change them so utterly that they are barely even a seadweller anymore?

You make sure to breathe carefully as you wander the wilderness. You're not sure where the others are or what happened to them. You don't really care though, not really. They can take care of themselves and most of them probably deserved their fate.

Well, they don't. You know they don't but sometimes you can't help but think that they might. After all, if they deserve it then that means there's a good reason behind all this. You don't think about what that means for you. Sometimes it helps you sleep at night.

Until you start thinking of Feferi.

Dear, sweet Fef. You don't know why she went through all that shit in That Place. She's only just under the Empress! Why would they do such horrendous things to the heir of this great empire? It just doesn't make sense to you. You also don't know why she didn't come with you. You mean, why wouldn't she? Aren't you moirails desipte your maybe-possible red crush on her? Maybe she just got lost when you all got seperated. Though she did want to stay and help the others so maybe...

No, she's fine, she got away. She'll join up with you soon.

You hope.

You don't have much of that left.

It gets harder to breathe as you trudge through the thick snow. The clothes Kan made, while terrible and unattractive considering where they came from, are warm enough to keep most of the chill out. You're just worried you won't be able to find any open water in time. You're not sure how much longer you are going to last. Perhaps you willstill have the strength to break the ice but you know you shouldn't rely on that, not with how weak you are beginning to feel.

The trees thin out and you step into a small clearing. Large trenches have been dug in the snow and haphazard traps stick up in random places. It seems like it should be a decent defense but each one is too far away from the others to be very effective. The door is ajar but there are no footsteps anywhere that you can see. Either this place is abandoned or the inhabitants haven't left in a long, long while. You hope for the former, you're in too much pain to deal with the consequences if it's not.

You carefully pick your way to the porch and nudge the door open with your foot. It creaks sharply as it moves and the dim light of the cloudy sky creeps in. The place is a shabby mess that had a smell you're not entirely sure you want to know the origin of. Scratch that. You _definitely_ don't want to know what's causing it. The place honestly looks like it is rotting away but right now you don't have any other options.

You look around warily as you enter and immediately head to the sink in the sorry excuse for a kitchen. The tap protests as you turn it but water flows from the faucet. It even looks mostly clear. Lucky you.

You quickly turn and search for the bathroom, finding it in short order. It contains a bathtub. It's not even that dirty and a plug in decent shape sits on the edge of the sink. Now who has all the luck, bitch? You plug the bathtub and twist both taps as far as they can go. You stick your head under it and drink. It doesn't taste too bad so you assume it's safe.You'll probably be able to fight off anything you might get from it anyway.

When the water is barely half way up you shuck off your winter clothes and slid in. It's not the best solution but it will do. You drop beneath the water and let your gills draw in precious oxygen. It won't be for long but at least you get some relief, the pain in you chest easing. Maybe you'll be able to stand being under for longer this time.

You don't know how much time actually passes as you drift but you don't really care. It's soothing to be under for so long without having to worry about running or the surface freezing solid as a rock and preventing your escape, leaving you to drown in the waters that should give you life. It's a little colder than you would like especially in the dead of winter – you dread going outside again, what will happen to your hair? You shudder to think about it – but it's still nice and you're not going to complain about small comforts. Well, not much anyway.

Eventually your lungs start to burn again so you rise up and take in a deep breathe of air.You sigh, fix your hair a little and reach over to turn off the tap only to find it has already stopped flowing. You frown and gaze down at the water that is inches away from the tub's rim. Interesting. You don't remember doing that.

Something coughs beside you and you freeze. So maybe someone was in here after all. But that's okay, you can take them. You hope.

Slowly you turn, eyes coming to rest on a tall black form in grubby clothes equally dark and covered in dirt. They also seem to be wet. The water doesn't look like it overflowed but maybe you splashed some water on the guy when you came up. Oops. Well, they should forgive you if you just apologise to them.

You look up and get a good look at a hard, angry face of what you're pretty sure is a carapacian which is. . . probably not a good thing. Carapacians are violent and blood-thirsty, even moreso than some highbloods. Or so you're told, anyway. They're a savage sort that are typically killed on sight before they can go and ruin anything with their sneaky, dirty little hands. This one would probably not take it well if you told it that, though, and, oh hey, it seems the thing has a knife and you're still not in top shape so maybe you should keep your seed flap zipped shut.

The carapacian glares down at you and you coil your body under you, ready to pounce and _run_ if necessary. You'd rather not though, you're still wet and your clothes are scattered behind the guy that looks like it _really_ wants to stab you. You really want your blood to stay in your body, okay?

A throat clears, making you both jump and turn to the doorway. Another carapacian stands there though this one looks much nicer, more put together. It even has a rather dapper hat and oh fuck no, you did _not_ just refer to something as 'dapper', especially not a fucking carapacian's headwear. The thing stares at you for a while, face blank – you think but you really can't tell what the damned things are thinking – and makes no move towards you. In fact, it seems to want to keep you around for a while since it keeps drawing the other one's attention when it turns to stab you. So this one seems at least somewhat decent.

You are itching to get out of the water by the time the new carapacian waves the other one over to it. The thing glares at him but goes, grmubling under its breathe all the way. They stand inches apart in conference too quiet for you to hear. You take the time to step cautiously out of the tub and grab a nearby towel that seems to be in dire need of a wash. You sneer in disgust but there's nothing you can do about it now. You quickly dry off and get dressed.

By the time you're done the carapacians have finished and they both scowl at you. You glare back and straighten up, looking down your nose at them as much as you can. Why are they so much taller than you? The second one slips past the first and comes towards you, silently assessing you, judging you. Well, you can do so as well. And if you're honest with yourself, you do so on a regular basis that might just border on the extremely insensitive. But fuck that noise, you don't need to deal with that shit.

After a moment the carapacian holds out its hand to you. You blink and frown at it. Something seems to shift though you're not entirely sure of what that is. But it seems like this might just keep you alive for a while longer and if you play your cards right you can make it out on top. Besides, now that you think about it, carapacians must have some kind of grudge against the people who did this to you. It was all humans and trolls in That Place, the same types that kill and attack the carapacians whenever they get in sight of them. Okay, you're one too but maybe there's something different, something special about you and this carapacian that makes it willing to work with you.

So maybe, just maybe, they can help you find answers and get revenge.

You take the carapacian's hand and shake it. It gives a smirk and you stand taller, grimly setting your face in what you hope is the steely resolve of someone lowering themselves to follow a lesser creature and not the worn expression of someone desperate for options. The other carapacian grumbles but doesn't say anything as it leaves. The one with the hat gestures for you to do the same and you follow where they lead, anticipation curling in your blood pusher.

Your name is Eridan Ampora and you're not sure if this is your only Hope or a walk to your Doom.

 

“ _Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that was ever cooked in hell.” - Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian_

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, mysterious mysteries are afoot! I hope I got Eridan's voice right, especially since this seems to mix what we first and last saw of him.  
> Eridan did often discuss his plans to eliminate all landdwellers (whether he would actually do it, considering his friends, is highly debatable) and he was the only one other than Equius that seemed to put any value into the caste system even if it was only a little. Since this is institutionalized racism ('cause I don't think the highbloods would be very accepting of them and humans can be dicks) I figured they would be the most likely out of everyone to harbor it towards the carapacians.  
> Anyway, I always feel like a ramble too much in these. I hope you enjoy!


End file.
